Real Estate Archives

5 EASY WEEKEND HOME MAINTENANCE PROJECTS

January 20, 2022

We finished Season 4 of Yellowstone. As we settle into the winter months some of us get antsy for spring yard projects. But here are five home maintenance projects you can finish in a weekend. We are getting antsy here in Colorado. But here are 5 home maintenance projects you can finish in a weekend. These ideas are all inside tasks so you can put on Netflix and get to work.

EASY

The skill level is set to easy, but some of you may break into a sweat when you read #3. But you can do it!

Show your home a little love and it will reward you when it is time to sell! #realtorlife

HOME MAINTENANCE PROJECTS ON A WEEKEND

We all know the home projects that we find every reason not to complete. You know like cleaning the baseboards or touching up the knicks and bumps the walls endure during the year. The ones that we ignore until we decide to list our homes or just get the list done.

Well, these projects work for those of us with no plans to move but getting antsy in the winter.

I talked about these ten things to do now before spring cleaning or a potential move.

Who has watched It’s a Wonderful Life? Remember every time George Baileyran up or down the stairs he ended up with the newel post in his hand. And, equal amounts of frustration.

THE LIST

FIX WHAT’S SQUEAKS & TIGHTEN BALLUSTERS ON STAIRCASE.

I wonder if George Bailey thought about staining or painting his staircase once he got the bank situation figured out?

On a side note; Where do you weigh in on stain vs. painted staircases? I go back and forth between paint and stain. Of course, it worked out great when I painted our stained front door.

2. ORGANIZE PAINT

Maybe this is the weekend to sort through the dozens of paint cans in the garage. Can you imagine what we could do with the space created if we stored the1/12 of the remaining paint in mason jars?

3. FURNACE FILTERS

Fun fact: The first thing I ever ordered on Amazon was a box of furnace filters?

I know right? What does that say about me? My friends and family are not surprised.

I know it sounds silly, but it was a home maintenance task I tossed to my husband (and then I would remind him to change it a dozen times).

Now I manage the filters! It calms me.

This was the old filter. Ewww……

I wrote a post on how to change the furnace filter.

4. CLEAN + TOUCHUP BASEBOARDS

What about your baseboards? The ones with scuff marks and yellowed edges from where the mop meets the base. Put on a Netflix movie and scoot yourself around the room with a paintbrush and a can of glossy white paint.

paint the baseboards for a weekendhome maintenance project

But, make sure to wipe down the baseboards.

I ordered these microfiber towels. I use and toss in the wash.

Freshly painted baseboards are one of my go-to home improvement projects. It’s also something buyers look at when touring a home. It kind of offers a glimpse of what the closets will look like. #realtorlife

5. CAULK WINDOWS

Next up, with Bridget Jones streaming in the background, grab the caulk and caulk the drafty windows and baseboards that need a fresh bead of caulk (after you paint the baseboards)!

What does it say about me that I love a fresh bead of caulk? I have a 1/2 dozen tubes of caulk in this closet.

What home maintenance projects do you dread, but know you will feel so much better once they are complete?

What projects would you add to this list?

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SHARING OUR FAVORITE KITCHEN REMODEL IDEAS

June 29, 2021

Sharing my favorite kitchen remodel ideas that are not budget breakers.

Growing up my sister and I turned our Barbie Dream House into a ranch floor plan. We used Lincoln Logs to landscape the “yard” and driveway.

And we may have borrowed the Nativity Scene for legit barnyard animals.

It’s no surprise I tackled our kitchen remodel with the same concept of reimagining walls and a corner pantry.

KITCHEN REMODEL IDEAS

For a couple that can argue over how to load the dishwasher- we agreed on most remodel projects. You know, the big stuff.

We did this DIY a few years earlier when we removed 1/2 a wall between the kitchen and dining room. If you are not ready to knock out walls- try this idea to open up the kitchen.

Here are our favorite kitchen remodel ideas and decisions we made.

FAVORITE KITCHEN REMODEL IDEAS

1. Kitchen Island Design

My husband came up with this idea and I loved it. He wanted the kitchen island to look like a free-standing piece of furniture.

2. Move the cooktop out of the island

This was on my really, really want list. I wanted uninterrupted real estate on my kitchen island. To do this, we moved the stove to the kitchen’s perimeter, an exterior wall, to access the gas line.

We were surprised that this move from the island to the wall was not as expensive as anticipated.

Tip: Explore your options. My husband was adamant that an oven moved to the exterior wall was going to be thousands of additional dollars with the gas line.

It costs us around $350.00 to move/extend the gas line.

3. Trash and Recycle Bins

In hindsight, we could have added bins without a remodel, but I love the recycle and trash bins together.

4. Pull out cabinet bin for the dog food

(just like the trash/recycle bins)

Okay, this dog food bin is the most talked about feature in our kitchen. My friends love the idea too.

We placed this on one end of the kitchen island so it is two steps away from Chloe and Elliott’s dog bowls.

Of all the decisions we made to our kitchen remodeling ideas this is a top conversation with friends.

5. POT FILLER

This stepped up our kitchen without that much money. I think the Kohler pot filler faucet cost more than the plumber.

My boys and husband use this faucet to get his water.

6. Removed the corner pantry and created a beverage bar

This decision was fairly last minute. We had a corner pantry that had so much wasted space.

The question was could we fit the contents of the pantry (small appliances, serving trays, etc) into other cabinets?

Here is the corner pantry before (and the half wall and my old blog before I did this):

Where there is a will there is a way

7. Dedicated broom storage

Where to put the broom? When we lost our corner pantry we lost our broom storage.

At one point my husband suggested we store it under the couch.

Our cabinet install guy loved this idea too.

There was no room between the refrigerator and the wall because of the baseboards.

But there was room to the right of the pull-out shelves of the new vertical pantry.

8. Ordered additional pull-out shelves for the pantry.

If you like to arrange cabinets you will want to order additional shelves. I could account for height and adjust the shelves in the future. Those dang cereal boxes and Quaker Oats old-fashioned oats.

9. Created additional storage under the island.

Our island is larger than the original. It includes a quartz slab with a microwave on one side, two deep drawers on another side, the dog food cabinet and this hidden cabinet underneath the island.

It’s under these two barstools and are surprisingly comfortable).

I store out-of-season baking stuff like my favorite sugar cookie supplies.

The depth of the cabinet shelves is only 8″ but I can out of season mugs and plates under there too. Love it!

My husband wanted to create as much storage as possible and still maintain seating for 3-4 people. To keep the recommended leg room under the island we had enough space for narrow shelves behind two cabinet fronts.

It essentially is hiding in plain sight because the bar stools sit in front of the cabinets.

10. Appliance Garage

I rotate small appliances through this cabinet based on demand. My kitchen designer (Teresa from here) saw me post my Kitchenaid in the appliance cabinet and she was like, “get it on the counter!”

#firstworldprobs

Finally, if you are not ready for a kitchen remodel start with this idea to update the kitchen. It’s how I knew I wanted a grey island!

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WEEKLY IDEAS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

10 Items To Pack Before the 1st Showing | Video

January 21, 2020

We all think about it, right? Listing our house. It’s the middle of winter and we have spent the month of January binging DIY shows. Maybe it is time downsize or move to a quieter location and live a Hallmark movie lifestyle. #wink Or, maybe you want to move to the city with an elevator and a parking garage. I get these calls from clients who just want to talk through a potential move. And, often that talk ends with my suggestion of the 10 items to pack before the 1st showing.

When my sellers get an offer (and go under contract) they never say, “I am so glad we didn’t pack any of this crap up before we listed our home.” Never.

10 Items to Pack Before the 1st Showing

Whatever your plans may be, here is a list of things to pack before the first showing. And, the best part of this list; it’s just a reminder to re-evaluate and ask the questions: Do we games with missing game pieces or

Will, I re-read American History from freshman year in college. Or for some of us, the question might be “Will I read my American History college textbook?

There are many reasons to pack everyday items before listing your home. I remind my sellers that buyers want to visualize themselves in the seller’s home. Potential buyers do not want to see 12 years of accumulated games, books and personal hygiene products in their future home.

10-items-to-pack-before-your-1st-showing

One of the biggest mistakes sellers and listing agents make is in the excitement of getting the house on the market, the home likely needs two more rounds of the “pack & stack” method.

The pack & stack method is my version of Marie Kondo’s method.

With just a few additional days or weeks, sellers can thoughtfully pack and stack boxes in a garage pane, basement or storage unit. It gives the seller time to make trips to the donation center or to make arrangments to haul out the big stuff.

This process makes rooms appear larger and cleaner. Here is a list of items I recommend to my clients to pack before the home is listed.

10 Items to Pack Before the 1st Showing

This list works to organize the clutter for a future list date too. No pressure.

1. Books

Books can be a distraction in home offices. Buyers start to look at the jacket titles and all of sudden they are more curious about the homeowners than the house. Books in kids’ rooms get confused with clutter when a buyer’s eye scans the room.

2. Trophies

Like books, trophies, are distractions. They inadvertently tell a story about the current family. The goal is for the buyers to create their own stories of their (your) home.

And, just like books, trophies scream clutter.

3. Barware & Serving Pieces

Unless you are selling your home during the holidays, go ahead and pack the majority of barware and serving trays. It is a good time to sort through the red and white wine glasses and those 1999 wine glasses with chunky stems.

4. Linens & Closets

Storage is a big deal for most buyers and a stuffed linen closet in a small home is a visual that buyers remember. Organized, lean stacks of linens and empty cabinets give buyers a chance to envision their own stuff in those same closets.

And, yes buyers do open closet doors.

5. Toys & Games

See items 1 & 2. Toys & Games are rarely neatly stacked on a bookcase. Usually, there are smashed covers, random cards and dice. Put aside a few favorites (in a neat closet) and either donate or pack and stack.

6. Holiday & Seasonal Decor

If you are listing your home in April, the goal is to be under contract before Memorial Day. So if you are selling in April and your listing price matches the similar sold numbers you will be out of your current home before the 4th of July (depending on the market you could be out Memorial Day weekend).

So pack & stack the pumpkins, the flocked Christmas trees and the Thanksgiving garland.

7. Seasonal Clothes

They say, okay I say, a closet is a peek into a person’s state of mind! Ha!

You should see my closet right now. It drives my husband nuts.

Wardrobe boxes make it easy to hang clothes and store them in the garage. Of course, it makes sense to hold onto a jacket or puffy vest, but you may not need the snow boots in June. Of course, in Colorado, it is not unusual to get snow above 9000 ft. in July.

8. Paper & Junk Drawers

I have an entire cabinet of greeting cards, stationery, thank you notes and Christmas cards from last year. If a buyer opens a cabinet in an office, and you should assume they will, you do not want the contents of an entire shelf to slide onto the floor. Store them in plastic bags or donate.

Along this same line are the endless crayons, markers, pens pencils, staples, erasers, and notepads.

It will make your drawers appear larger and your home will feel neater.

9. Candles, Vases, Accessories

I have an entire cabinet for new and slightly used candles. I have a cabinet filled with 8oz mason jars from the one year I made strawberry jam. If you are getting ready for a move, chances are you will not make preserves six weeks before you move to a new home or a short term rental.

10. Toiletries & Meds

One of the things I tell sellers to get out of sight (and pack) is the unnecessary toiletries. Buyers do not want to see a homeowner’s morning routine. Pack up the travel size soaps and shampoos, the 11 bottles of nail polish and the Costco 2-pack of Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner.

And, please pack up the bathroom rugs.

Video Recap:

The goal is to make your house shine and to remove your “footprint” from the home. And, guess what happens?

Sellers get excited and motivated to sell. Cleaning, packing and stacking boxes is a great way to get the entire family involved. Let the kids decide what toys must stay on the beds and what games can be boxed or donated.

Yes, there are exceptions to all these things and there are birthday parties and Mother’s Day brunches during listings.

But I suggest sellers pack to the rule; not the exception.

If you are selling your home this spring; good luck. If you have any questions, please ask.

I am a licensed Realtor in Colorado and love all things home! You can contact me here.